Electrically energized toy racing cars are known which may be raced against one another. It is usual in the prior art to provide a track with side walls for use with such cars, and for the cars to be controlled so that they may be steered so as to be biased against one or the other of the side walls, this being achieved by selecting the polarity of the direct-current voltage applied to the electric drive motor in each car, the voltage being applied through electrically conductive strips extending along the track. Prior art cars are steered by mounting the rear wheels to be individually rotatable on the rear axle, and by providing a somewhat complex gear train from the motor such that one or the other rear wheel is driven in the forward direction depending upon the direction of rotation of the motor which, in turn, depends upon the polarity of the direct current voltage applied to the motor. The action tends to cause the car to be biased to the left or right against the adjacent wall depending on the polarity of the voltage applied to the motor.
The steering mechanism of the toy racing car of the present invention, unlike the steering mechanism in the prior art cars, provides a steering control, which is achieved by actually turning the front or rear wheel axle a limited amount in one direction or the other through a gear train included in the steering mechanism. The steering mechanism of the invention is simpler and less expensive than the mechanism used in the prior art cars, and it provides a more direct and positive steering control.